The Eternal Wait
by Cleveland Rock
Summary: What exactly do a goddess and angel talk about for 25 years? Do things get weird?


Pit sat in the same spot where his first adventure ended, next to Palutena, with four cherubs circling overhead. Even to guardians of the afterlife, the decades they had spent there seemed like an eternity. They had barely moved from that spot except to eat, bathe, use the sacred porcelain throne, and occasionally make smaller appearances in other Nintendo games.

"I can't believe how long we've been waiting for our next adventure," said Pit to his goddess of light. "Has it really been over 25 years?"

"Actually, it's been barely 20 years," explained the goddess Palutena, "but the Game Boy sequel was never released in Japan, so the developers probably won't consider it official canon."

"That's fine with me," replied our angelic hero. "If you'll recall, my wings burnt up and I died at the end of that game."

"Quiet!" commanded Palutena. "Don't spoil the ending for the readers who haven't played it yet!"

"It's OK, Lady Palutena," Pit said in apparent defiance of his goddess. "I think it's okay to spoil the ending of a game that's 20 years old. Plus, I feel sorry for anyone who plays that game without knowing how awful the ending will be."

Palutena shook her head and looked down at her feet. "That was terrible, and I'm glad that never officially happened. But I'm worried something just as bad might happen to you in our next adventure."

"Like what?" asked a concerned Pit.

"I don't know," responded Palutena, in a rare denial of omniscience. "What's the worst possible thing you can imagine happening to you?"

"The worst possible thing?" repeated Pit, both to himself and Palutena. "I suppose the worst possible thing that could happen to me is if you were to see my dark side—the defiant part of me I never want you to have to see."

"That's so sweet, Pit," said Palutena with a new smile. "I hope you're always as loyal as you've been to me all these years. It's so… angelic of you."

Despite the joy this exchange brought them, the two sat in awkward silence afterward, looking down at the Centurions fluttering around the celestial world below. In all the time they had spent waiting for a sequel, the silence was deadlier than any of the Underworld's forces. Except maybe the Ornes. You know, the floating skull things that finish you off in one hit. Actually, Reapers might also be deadlier than the silence, but in the mind of our hero Pit, the silence was deadlier.

"Palutena," nervously said the playable character, ending the silence, "there's something I've always wanted to ask you, and I suppose it's better to ask you now, before our journey begins."

"What is it?", asked Palutena. She turned her head toward Pit, her heavenly hand slightly trembling. She had clearly detected the anxiety in Pit's voice using her divine power of anxiety-detection.

"Why are you and so many other gods and goddesses single? You'd think having heavenly grace and wisdom would bring all the boys to the yard." inquired the curious angel.

Palutena giggled. "Yes, but a marriage is a union of individuals. For two gods to be married, they have to share their kingdoms, powers, and responsibilities," explained Palutena. "We have to be extremely cautious with whom we share these things. Even sharing feelings and emotions would make any living being vulnerable; if someone took advantage of that vulnerability in a god or goddess, it would endanger the very souls of all things living and dead."

Pit hadn't realized until then the full extent of a deity's responsibilities. Even more nervous than before, he continued indulging his curiosity. "Does that mean, if a goddess were to marry one of her subjects, he would become a god?"

Palutena turned her head and raised an eyebrow. "What does that matter to you?"

Pit's hair was practically soaked with his own sweat at this point. "Oh! Nothing! Well, I mean… Something! That is… As your second-in-command, I have to know these things in case something happens to you during our adventure. I may have to take command someday."

"Oh, that's true," said Palutena, taking her eyes off Pit.

Pit visibly cheered up. "You sure are good at your job, Lady Palutena. I think I understand now. If you never let anyone know your feelings for them, it's because you're thinking of what's best for everybody."

"Well, you never know," replied Palutena. "We have big things just around the corner. Even I don't know what's in my future. Or yours. Or… ours."

"Hopefully something good," said the naive and hopeful Pit, "with lots of ice cream!"

Palutena smiled. "Oh, it'll be very good. The dialog will be funny, it will have an online mode better than any Nintendo game ever made, and if it sells really well, maybe we can have another adventure!"

"Or it can set a precedent for similar 3DS games in the future… like Mega Man Legends 3!" added a very enthusiastic Pit. "Lady Palutena, can you use your super awesome powers to uncancel Mega Man Legends 3? Or put Mega Man into the next Super Smash Bros. game?"

Pit and Palutena laughed together. "No, seriously, can you?"


End file.
